Investigators of Tamil migrant ship showed ‘total disregard’ of policy: lawyer
VANCOUVER — Two Canadian men accused of smuggling hundreds of Tamil migrants from Thailand to British Columbia must be acquitted because authorities conducted a flawed investigation resulting in unreliable evidence, their lawyers say.
The men, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam, and two Sri Lankan men have pleaded not guilty to organizing the 2010 voyage of the MV Sun Sea, contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Mark Nohra, who represents Mahendran, told the jury in closing arguments that the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP showed “total disregard” for policies established to “protect people’s liberty and freedom.”
He said investigators repeatedly showed isolated photographs of his client to migrants during interviews. Referring to one witness who testified earlier in the trial, Nohra said the migrant’s identification of Mahendran could not be trusted.